Students in Hampden-based Regional School Unit 22 may end up attending school at different locations if the district adopts one of three options it has proposed.
More than 200 parents and community members heard three different scenarios from RSU 22 during a meeting Tuesday night. The district is considering changes that would restructure where children in Hampden, Winterport, Frankfort and Newburgh attend school. A fourth scenario would keep everything the same.
No changes will be made for the 2024-25 school year, and it may not happen during the 2025-2026 school year, Assistant Superintendent for District Development Christina Boone said.
“We don’t even have an opinion, we’re looking to get those here,” Boone said.
The proposed changes are the result of an equity audit from 2021 that found disparities and inequities in resources and facilities, especially between the two middle schools. It also found the way the district is structured results in differences in test scores and class sizes, the district said.
Community members and parents could submit written questions during the meeting and small group answer sessions. How transportation will work, school start times and pick-up schedules with working parents were common concerns raised.
The school board committee investigating the changes is working with the bus company to figure out potential bus routes, which will influence start times, school officials said. It’s too early to know those answers, Boone said.
Other concerns included athletic opportunities for students. The number of sports offered at the middle school level is likely to increase, Hampden Academy Athletic Director Barry Terrill said.
Tax rates would stay the same because that level is set by property values and the percentage of students from each town in the district, Superintendent Nicholas Raymond said.
If the district decides to change where students attend school, the decision will likely be through a vote made by the school board, after numerous steps, school board member Brooke Miller said.
District officials said they will send out answers to frequently asked questions after Tuesday’s meeting. A survey will be sent out as well, and the school board committee will read every submission, Boone said.
Scenario One
Students in prekindergarten through fifth grade will stay at the same buildings. Students in sixth grade would attend Samuel L. Wagner Middle School in Winterport while seventh and eighth graders would attend Reeds Brook Middle School in Hampden.
This would give sixth graders an additional year to develop before middle school, and the schedule would be designed to meet their specific developmental needs, the district said. Students in seventh and eighth grades would be able to use resources at Hampden Academy because the buildings are near each other.
The proximity to the high school would give seventh and eighth graders more time to get used to the transition and be more comfortable. It would also offer more opportunities for athletics and other activities for grades six to eight.
Scenario Two
Students in pre-K to second grade would stay at Earl C. McGraw and Leroy H. Smith schools, while third and fourth graders would attend Wagner school in Winterport. Fifth and sixth grade students would attend George B. Weatherbee School in Hampden.
Grades seven and eight would be at Reeds Brook, as in scenario one. Both the scenarios would offer grade level collaboration.
This scenario would offer extracurricular activities found at only one school to all students, the district said. Currently students at the Smith school have a Civil Rights Team and the Weatherbee school has a Kids on the Run program. All students would have access to those groups if grades third to fifth are combined.
Pre-K is scheduled to move to McGraw school next calendar year and second grade is scheduled to move to Weatherbee. This means the scenario may not be possible but the district said they wanted to present it anyways in case it is feasible.
Scenario Three
In the third scenario, students in pre-K and kindergarten would attend the McGraw school in Hampden and a pre-K through the Waldo Community Action Partners would stay at the Smith school. First and second grade students would also attend the Smith school.
The Wagner school would have third and fourth graders, while fifth and sixth graders would be at the Weatherbee school. Grades seven and eight would be at Reeds Brook.
This plan allows the most collaboration across grade levels, the district said. It also has the same benefits of the other two scenarios by allowing consistency and flexible grouping. There wouldn’t be the need to shift content and staff across grade levels because class sizes would be balanced across the district.
Federal funding from Title I, which provides money to districts for low-income students, would be possible across the district because the money follows Winterport students right now, Miller said. If all students in a single grade are in one building, the money can be distributed to all students instead of only part of the district.
Funding for students who need extra help with reading at the Weatherbee school comes only from local sources while funding for Smith school students comes from the federal Title I, which can provide more resources, Cyr said.
